Burnout...

We see this self-imposed affliction in our participants more and more often. It seems to be happening much earlier in life, even in their 20’s. Most people that come to us are in search of a dramatic change in their lives because of the symptoms are becoming almost unbearable. They see no lasting satisfaction in anything they do “for fun” anymore. The common escape from working more than 50% of the 168 hours available in a week normally include…

• buying expensive stuff (Substantiating their financial success)
• partying hard ("We work hard, and we party hard"... sound familiar?)
• seeking adrenaline inducing activities
• and the list goes on...

Yet, the satisfaction rendered is as short-lived as the activity itself, and many times with undesirable consequences. The mildest being a killer hangover and not even remembering how much "fun" was had. Looking for answers in all the wrong places seems to be an all too common vicious circle.“Going back to basics” sounds like an overused phrase, yet it has an important clue hidden in plain sight. If by “basics” we mean spending time in nature, in the forest, in the mountains, by the ocean on a deserted beach, then we’re really onto something. It sounds so simplistic an answer, unsophisticated and cheap, that most people pass it by. They rather keep searching for what the competing, energy drinker, crowd says it’s worth doing.Spending mindful time in nature is in fact in our DNA, it is the natural way our predecessors, not only rested, but also restored the balance in their bodies and minds. It is THAT simple! The main problem is that most people have forgotten how to do this. How to be in nature as the part of it that we are(were). Jogging through a park, with your earbuds on doesn't quite cut it. The true connection with nature, requires all your senses focused on it, mindfully engaged with it, fully receiving all it has to give. The proverbial "light at the end of the tunnel" is that many of those borderline burnout victims are starting to see the path back to our true selves and our true home. They again seek reconnecting with nature in a profound, mindful and healing manner. The young folks that come to us are in search of the connection they had with nature when they were kids, they remember how valuable it was to them before the definition of "valuable" was changed by the competitive, cut throat professional life the embarked on.This movement is not a revolution, it's just common sense. And it is backed by decades of science with measurable results as proof of the physiological benefits of mindfully immersing oneself in a forest. It's also about time.